Necrofantasia
by CrimsonSkyTamer
Summary: Long ago, when the first Kings of Fiamma were crowned, a mysterious evil named Checkerface struck. Though it was sealed away, without the full power of the Arcobaleno, it couldn't remain powerless forever. Now, in the year of 2013, the tenth generation kings must find the Arcobaleno and work together to stop it once more. (Rated T because...the usual.)
1. Fiamma

_**[Prologue: Fiamma]**_

_A/N: My newest fic, haha! ^^ But no, I'm not giving up on my existing fics._

_And oh, I totally butchered their characters. Sorry!_

_WARNING: Not beta-ed!_

* * *

_Long ago, there existed only a vast blue sea. Two gods happened to chance upon it, and thought it perfect to create a world there – a world of peace and harmony unlike the others. Combining their powers, they drew out the land from the bottom of the sea bed._

_Upon seeing some native sea-bound shape-shifters, Kawahira thought that what they did was enough, and decided let nature take its course. Sepira, however, disagreed. Unwilling to argue with Kawahira, she decided to stay for a while longer, while he could leave if he wished._

_Not wanting to leave Sepira, Kawahira agreed to help her with her plan. Together, they created seven pacifiers and stored an individual flame in each one, so as to preserve the harmony of the land. However, the pacifiers needed bearers. Thus, the two created the first humans. However, a mistake was made. There were seven pacifiers, but eight candidates – there were two Rains._

_In the end, it was decided that another pacifier would be created for the girl, with a combined flame inside. Their job done, the two gods left, never to return again._

_Upon awakening, the seven humans picked up their respective pacifiers – the pacifier shone purely for its owner. Finding a note, the girl with the orange pacifier read it out to the rest._

* * *

_Dear Arcobaleno:_

_You must be wondering about the pacifiers, right? Well, they contain flames that support this world. So don't ever let them get destroyed, or the entire world will be doomed._

_There's no need to worry about death – you'll just be reincarnated to protect these pacifiers. ^^ You'll also retain your memories of your past lives, though your abilities will remain the same. _

_Best wishes,_

_Sepira_

**_Kawahira_**

_PS: I just remembered, I haven't told you your names yet! Well, here they are: _

_Storm (red) - Fon_

_Sky (orange) – Luce **(Luche)**_

_Sun (yellow) – Reborn_

_Lightning (green) – Verde_

_Rain (blue) – _**_Colonello_**

_Mist (indigo) – Viper_

_Cloud (purple) – Skull_

_Night (clear) – Lal Mirch_

_Well, good luck! –Sepira_

**_PPS: Sepira did this. I was tempted to ditch you, but she forced me to create the pacifiers. Be grateful. And yes, she forced me to sign this stupid letter too.  
–Kawahira_**

* * *

"_Verde? Green? How…unoriginal." A bespectacled, green-haired boy in a lab coat drawled._

"_Your hair is green, dipshit." The blue haired girl with a clear pacifier scowled, tan cape fluttering slightly. _

"_So you're Lal, kora!" A blond boy dressed in a camouflage outfit grinned, a camouflage bandanna keeping his hair from falling across his face. "Colonello reporting for duty, ma'am!"_

"…_so you're the only one that got named by Kawahira. It's not a big deal, so don't get a big head." Inspecting his yellow pacifier under the gleaming golden sunlight was a boy in a yellow shirt and black suit, along with a fedora on his head._

"_Calm down, Reborn." Fon said, red pacifier hanging from around his neck. "And you too, Colonello, please don't be so mischievous."_

"…_I don't care what you all do as long as you don't involve me." A hooded person with the indigo pacifier said bluntly, only to get tackled to the ground by the bearer of the purple pacifier, Skull, revealing an indigo-haired female. "Why you little piece of–"_

"_The great Skull-sama is not sorry!" The purple-haired boy in a jumpsuit exclaimed, but quickly relented when the other glared at him. "S-Sorry, Viper!"_

_The dark-green haired girl in a white dress smiled. Her new family was eccentric, yes, but they would get used to each other soon. "Luce…light." As if it heard her silent whisper, her orange pacifier glowed, before returning to normal._

* * *

"_Luce…are you sure?" A rich baritone echoed around the room._

"_Reborn's right, kora! You don't have to stay alone; we can always remain here with you, kora!" Colonello exclaimed, the rest of the Arcobaleno nodding._

_All of them were now adults, though they were dressed in similar attires to their first. They were currently in a countryside home, right in the center of the land._

"_No." Dark green locks fluttered as the Sky Arcobaleno looked at the 7 other members of her family. "It's been many centuries since our beginning, and nature has finally evolved." Gesturing to the people – the evolved shape-shifters – outside, Luce smiled warmly at her family. "I know you're worried, but I can take care of myself. Besides, I've already got a plan."_

_Spreading out a map of the island, Luce quickly drew some lines, dividing the island into seven almost-equal portions. "Every one of us – every single flame type gets a portion. Of course, Sky will be in the center, with Sun and Storm at North-East and North-West, Mist and Lightning at South-East and South-West, Cloud at East and Rain at West."_

"…_but…" Everyone knew what Lal was going to say. The mixed-flame bearer did not have anywhere she could go._

"_You're coming with me, Lal." Colonello smiled at the blue-haired woman, while the rest of the Arcobaleno exchanged knowing looks. It was, after all, no secret that Colonello liked Lal. Leaving the two alone, the rest of the Arcobaleno left the room silently._

* * *

_Flames – once their life-force, now it was being used against them._

"_Run, Luce! We can handle them!" Gunshots echoed around the square, courtesy of Reborn. Though seemingly unbeatable, the Arcobaleno had been fighting for over five days without food, drink or rest, and they were tiring._

"_I won't leave you!" The Sky Arcobaleno tried to reason with the angry townsfolk, but was almost stabbed by a sword – luckily, Fon pulled her back in time._

"_You monsters!" _

"_What are you; you never age!" _

"_And your inhuman strength too!"_

_The townsfolk cornered the six Arcobaleno, Colonello and Lal having failed to show up, all weapons at the ready. The leader of the mob, a male demon with the attribute of Mist pointed his trident at the small group, sunlight making it glint all the more menacingly._

"_Today, we will kill you, and let your blood rain down on this battlefield. Just like our brothers in the land of Pioggia, who have killed the remaining two of your brethren."_

_Shocked, Luce almost fell back. The other Arcobaleno were shocked as well, but didn't let it show. Mischievous Colonello and stoic Lal...were dead?_

_Just as the order was given to kill the Arcobaleno, the sky turned blood-red. The sun turned black as dozens on hooded figures wrapped in bandages descended onto the war-filled streets of Cielo, a person in a dark trench coat along with a checkered tie and hat at their head._

"_**Kill."**_

* * *

"_Pump all of your flames; don't let Checkerface escape!" Fon shouted to the rest of the Arcobaleno, who accordingly increased their flame output._

"_Without Colonello and Lal, our power is only at three-quarters of the original." Verde commented casually, even as Checkface attempted to escape from his fiery prison with his black flame._

"_Guys…are you sure you want to do this? The risks are high…" Luce bit her lip. She had foreseen the future, but every single world was bloody and filled with death. This…was the only way out._

"_Definitely." Reborn smirked, while the rest nodded their affirmative._

_Six pacifiers glowed brilliantly as their bearers burned away their life-flame to seal away Checkerface._

"_I guess…this is goodbye?"_

"_Not goodbye–"_

"–_see you again."_

"_We'll definitely remember…"_

"_And meet up once more."_

"_Promise."_

* * *

_I absolutely love the last six lines. Anyone can guess where I got inspiration from? If you can, I'll give out spoilers for any one of my stories. Yes, even Melody of Prejudice. ^^_

_Right, and this is a double update, so please check out Chapter 1 too~_

_CrimsonSkyTamer (My penname is a mouthful! XD)  
30th Sep 2013_


	2. Life sucks when you're an Arcobaleno

_**[Chapter 1: Life sucks when you're an Arcobaleno]**_

_WARNING: Not beta-ed!_

* * *

**_~l Alex l~_**

The memories were blur, fuzzy and appeared in a dream.

"Are you okay, Alex?" Long, curly red hair blocked my vision as our Storm tackled me into a hug. "You slept for days; we were all so worried!"

"I'm fine, Scarlet – more importantly, has Ryuu located our Rain yet?" I reply her with a small smile. Scarlet was the second oldest in the family, having 'awakened' after me.

Oh wait. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alex, codename 'Kaminari'. I'm the Arcobaleno of Lightning, and the tenth reincarnation of Verde. I'm blond – no, I'm not dumb – and my favourite colour is emerald green, which incidentally is the colour of my eyes. Yes, I like inventing and sports, I love hoodies and no, I do not wear spectacles like my predecessor.

Ahem. Anyway, before I go back to telling you the story, I should bring you up to speed first.

To cut a long story short – we, the tenth generation Arcobaleno, are now living in the same countryside home as our first generation predecessors, with the exception of the fact that the house was now in the middle of the forest – which suited me – and it was partially wrecked.

In the 'official' story, the first Kings of this land defeated Checkerface with the aid of the Arcobaleno chains and the seven original Box Weapons. In the true story, well – the first generation Arcobaleno gave the kings the Box Weapons. The kings then used the Box Weapons to wound Checkerface, and the Arcobaleno ambushed him. They then used their life-flames to seal away Checkerface, and gave the Arcobaleno Chains (which are in fact, a portion of their life flames compressed into the shape of a chain) to the first Kings to ensure that during the period of time when they were not around (between death and rebirth), this land wouldn't fall into peril or anything.

Don't ask me how I know – it's part of the package. You get the memories of every Arcobaleno generation as well as the same abilities of the first.

Anyway, after Checkerface was sealed away, the Arcobaleno picked seven humans to rule this land, seeing as the masses were after their heads. These seven became the first kings, and they named this land Fiamma. Though when I say humans, they weren't exactly humans. They were the descendants of the first shape-shifters – everyone here is – and were born with a humanoid form. But, as I was saying, they became the first kings and the Arcobaleno remained as their advisors. Of course, the Arcobaleno eventually died and were reborn, but the second King took the throne by force, and ordered the Arcobaleno to be killed on sight. This order was carried on throughout the generations, which is why we're in hiding right now.

There's currently five of us here. I'm the oldest, Scarlet 'Arashi' second, Lux 'Taiyou' third, Deyran 'Kiri' fourth and Ryuu 'Kumo', who is the last one for now. The Sky is always the youngest, but the order of the first six changes with every generation.

Back to the story. We're currently trying to find the location of our Rain, the second youngest, but it's been rather difficult, from what Scarlet tells me. Her location keeps changing, and we can't risk going out again so soon after just finding Ryuu and going to get his pacifier from the Pacifier Spring. Besides, Ryuu is still stuck with pegasi wings – and the rest of us can't be seen. K.O.S order, remember?

Either way, we're doomed. News from the palace has reached everyone by now – Checkerface has started to stir. Though the Kings and the Arcobaleno share the same life flames, the Kings are currently in the middle of transition – the Ninth generation is going to hand over the reins to the Tenth. However, this won't be happening for another year at least, and the weakening Ninth generation can't possibly stop Checkerface themselves. After all, the Ninth generation Arcobaleno perished 20 years ago – they were publicly executed. (Again, the K.O.S order.) The only chance we have is to find our Rain and Sky quickly and take down Checkerface while he's still weak. But even then, that's no chance at all.

"Life sure sucks when we're us, doesn't it?" Scarlet grins at me. As usual, she always manages to read my mind.

"Intuition." Her grin widens, before she leaps off my bed and head out the door, fiery red curls bouncing. "Don't be late for dinner, okay – Lux will throw a fit."

I mumble something unintelligible in reply, before grabbing an electric green hoodie and hurriedly pull it on.

* * *

"Ryuu…do something about your wings already!" Lux reprimanded, having gotten hit in the face for the nth time during dinner. As usual, it was not a subdued affair.

"Sorry, Lux…but they just won't fold." Ryuu said sheepishly, trying to fold his white wings but ended up smacking Deyran in the face.

"…" Mist tendrils curled around the leg of Ryuu's chair as said person was flung off it and landed a few feet away on the carpet. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"…you slapped me." Picking up his fork, Deyran speared a potato, totally unconcerned about the death threats coming from Ryuu.

"Enough." Scarlet broke in, glaring at the two boys, who apologised. I fail to hide a snort, however, and she turned to face me with those piercing silvery eyes. Apologising, I quickly return to my meal of baked potatoes and meatballs, feeling my face heat up.

"…someone has a crush." Lux said, smirking. "I'm going to do the dishes – only because you now owe me one, Scarlet."

"Will do." She replied, her meal half-touched. Actually…everyone's meal was half-touched, with the exception of Lux.

"Thinking about Ame?" I ask quietly, and Scarlet looks at me for a brief moment, before turning away. "Yeah…"

"Oh, right!" Ryuu suddenly jabs in. "Speaking of which, I found Ame's location already – she seems to have settled down, and the vision from my pacifier is clear."

An explosion occurs from the kitchen – Lux bursts out of it a few seconds later, eyes burning red. "You didn't tell us!"

"S-Sorry!" Ryuu exclaims, startled.

"Put it off for a minute – I'm going to check on the kitchen." Deyran shoots me a glance before heading off.

I take it as a good sign – Deyran isn't known for being the friendliest person on the block. "So, who and where is he, Ryuu?"

A weird smile crosses Ryuu's face. I thought nothing of it back then, but during when we finally met Ame, I would realise just how much trouble we were in.

"Ame…isn't a guy. And she's stuck in the experimentation labs of the Estraneo Famiglia."

* * *

_Ok, this is crazy. I'm updating when I have exams. ^^'''_

_Right, this is a double update, so please do read the prologue XD_

_~Review/Favourite/Follow~_

_See you next chapter!_

_CrimsonSkyTamer  
30__th__ September 2013_


	3. Differences

_**[Chapter 2: Differences]**_

_Sorry, sorry….I'll get to uploading chapters for my other fanfictions soon. I guess? That is, if my grades go up._

_Warning: Not beta-ed!_

**_*SPOILER* PS: Italic sentences are flashbacks…or the first gen. Arcobaleno speaking. *SPOILER*_**

* * *

_**~Ame~**_

"…looks like this experiment was a failure."

That cold, harsh voice…accompanied by the gradual sensation of fading away, I knew I was at Death's door. However, try as I might, I simply couldn't open my eyes. I could feel _him_ though. Him…and his little gang, right in the room beside this one.

"She's lost too much blood. Boss won't be pleased; this is the second time this experiment has failed."

…Lost too much blood? That explains it…

_Why are you being such an idiot, kora? Do something! Losing too much blood means death, Baka-Rina…_

Why should I care about death anyway? Dying…has to be a much better option than this hell.

…_can you honestly say that, Baka-Rina? Have you learnt nothing from your childhood, kora?_

Memories resurface from the deepest crevices of my mind.

_The warm sun shone down gently as Takeshi-nii and I played in the clear waters. "Always remember to smile, okay, Rina-chan?"_

_The worried yet determined expression on Rokudo Mukuro's face as he watched Ken and Chikusa get dragged into the experimentation theatres. "We'll definitely break out. Just hold on a while longer…"_

All those memories…unless… _'Is this what you wanted me to understand, Colonello?'_ I whisper mentally, and I hear him laugh.

_Who knows, kora? Let me take over for a while…that is, if you still want to live, kora._

I relinquished my hold on my consciousness, and as everything faded, I thought I felt his gentle smile.

"_The requiem Rain that washes away all sorrow…when the time comes, you will know what the path you must take is. Reclaim your name and your future, the true successor of my legacy…"_

* * *

_**~Deyran~**_

After Ryuu dropped the bombshell, Alex was adamant on going to rescue Ame. Scarlet insisted on going as well, as did Ryuu. Only Lux was willing to stay behind, which leaves four of us going.

I mean, I'm the Mist Arcobaleno. The Estraneo headquarters is in the kingdom of Nebbia, of course I'm supposed to go. But four people will attract too much attention.

"Alex, Scarlet, you two remain behind. Lux and Ryuu will come with me." I spoke automatically, already having a plan in mind. Of course, they protested, but I already had solid arguments formed.

"As the oldest, Alex should remain here as he is the most experienced. Also, he's still injured. In addition, as the Storm, Scarlet would be the polar opposite of Ame, who is the Rain. A clash would be the result and we don't need any more injuries."

"…don't be stupid." Lux facepalmed. "You might be the only one who knows where the Estraneo headquarters is, but you forgot that you're injured too. And Ryuu still has wings!"

"And it doesn't help that the Sun is also an opposite of the Rain." Alex interjected, but got silenced by a withering look from me.

"…the only reason why I'm doing this is because it's my duty. The sooner this is over, the better." I reply stoically before leaving the house, Lux and Ryuu racing to keep up.

Therefore, Ryuu, Lux and I started the long journey to the kingdom of Nebbia on foot. However, I'm not going to bore you with a recount of the boring journey, so I'm just going to tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Deyran, Deyran Cortez. I think I'm the only Arcobaleno who's still using their last name, and of course you know that I'm the Mist, and fourth oldest of the group. Exactly in the middle, as others might say.

You might think that I'm not a very sociable person, and you'd be right. Back in Nebbia, everyone is a demon. As in, literally, a demon – we're all shape-shifters. But they were all capable of betraying you when the price was right and the interest was there, and I found that out the hard way. It's also why I use my last name so carelessly – my entire family is gone. While this makes me untraceable – no-one remembers the Cortez family – the price paid was heavy.

Anyway, enough about me. Back to the story.

When we reached the Estraneo Famiglia's headquarters, Ryuu suggested breaking in. He got whacked over the head by Lux for his less-then-helpful suggestion, but it gave me an idea.

"We can break in."

Ryuu looked pleased, while Lux looked shocked.

"Using my Mist flames to conceal us, and the propagation ability of Ryuu's Cloud flames to spread my Mist flames, we can walk right in without being spotted." A smile crosses my face. Later on would Lux comment on how evil it looked, and would Ame return a similar one of her own.

Since no-one had a better idea, we did just that, and got in successfully. "She's in the back room, I think…" Ryuu murmurs.

Lux lets out a soft, almost inaudible gasp. "In front…!" I turn sharply and find myself staring at an indigo-haired young man – probably 15 years of age. A silver trident hung loosely in his right hand as his heterochromatic eyes, one ocean blue and one blood red, glared at me.

"Why are you here?" He sounded weary and cautious at the same time. But I couldn't reply because of shock. Those eyes had seen too much…_and they reflected my own._

* * *

_**~Mukuro~**_

The two people who stood directly in front of me were obviously newcomers. In fact, it was so plain that I could see their suppressed flames with my new right eye. But that last one…the one with white hair and blue eyes – he was clearly a demon. What could be their motive?

"Why are you here?" I ask, holding my trident in a loose grip. Better not make it seem like I'm proficient in it, or else my escape plan will be ruined, if any of the Estraneo chance upon this little scene.

They look at one another, obviously deciding whether they could trust me or not. "We're…looking for someone." The girl says slowly. "Could you help us locate her?"

"That depends on who she is…" I begin, but add in an afterthought. "And also what I get in return."

"Why you–" The brown-haired guy with wings almost shouted, but was hushed by the others.

"Anything." Says the white-haired guy.

I raise an eyebrow. This girl must be really important if they were willing to do anything just to find her. "Very well. Count me in."


	4. The Requiem Rain

_**[Chapter 3: The Requiem Rain]**_

_**~Mukuro~**_

To say that I was shocked was an understatement. Not just any understatement – the understatement of the year. Still, perhaps I could twist the favour to my advantage…

"I'm not aware of any 'Karina' in the Estraneo facilities, and I know everything that goes on in here." I said calmly, keeping my voice even and my grip on the trident slack. They were powerful enough to be able to sneak in here, so I should be able to free Chrome, Ken and Chikusa as long as I had their help.

The girl looked at the brown-haired guy, who shook his head. "She's definitely in here. I can feel it." The white-haired demon – I say demon because that's what he is, a Mist shape-shifter – looked at me with a weird expression. "Do you know of anyone here who doesn't know their own name? Or has a name that sounds like Karina, or anything to do with the word 'Rain'?"

I pretend to ponder, but the instant they mentioned the word Karina, one person immediately came to mind. The girl whom everyone called Valkyrie, after her given name by those 'scientists', 'Experiment Valkyrie'.

Raven-black hair with a single lock of blue running through the left side, Rina was a quiet girl…until they took her away for the experiment that was done on me afterwards. They said that she had died from the loss of blood, however…

"That's her." The white-haired male said softly, until he picked up on my next thoughts. I've heard that some Mist users can do that. "What? She's dead?!"

The other two stare at me in horror, their expressions all disbelieving. I offer to take them to the experimentation lab, however.

* * *

When we reach the experimentation labs, I push open the door…but am instantly frozen in place. Even time seemed to have slowed down as I stared at the girl lying on the bloodstained metal table, various instruments splashed with blood all around. That familiar head of raven-black hair, that pale, lifeless face…yet Rain flames were pouring out of her.

How?

As the tranquility of the pure Rain flames force my system to shut down, the world around me starts to fade to black. However, Sun flames wash over me and the activation property of the Sun flame counters the tranquility of the Rain. I stumble and try to regain my footing while I watch the girl release more Sun flames so as to counter the overwhelming Rain flames from the unconscious Valkyrie.

"And I thought you said there was no Karina around here." The brown-haired guy remarked, obviously not trusting me.

"…We call her Valkyrie." I reply calmly, turning to face the other Mist. "You will keep your word, I trust?"

He nods.

A sudden choked gasp causes me to turn my head sharply; the other two follow my lead and are shocked, though a smirk crosses my face.

Valkyrie had grabbed the other girl by the throat, slender fingers locked in a death grip. However, as the other's hand reached to wipe away the blood staining Valkyrie's face, Valkyrie's lone ocean blue eye widened and she quickly let go.

To be honest, I was rather disappointed. But anyway, it's time to cash in my favour.

"Since you've found her…I now request for your favour." I smirk, taking note of the trio's surprised faces. "I want your assistance in breaking my…group and myself out of this facility."

They nod, but Valkyrie stands, albeit shakily. "Weapons first. Then the rest."

* * *

I ignore the glares being directed at me from the trio behind – apparently two of them didn't want to share their names – and focus on locating my little gang. Valkyrie was just beside me, giving me weird looks every now and then.

"What?" I finally ask, turning round a corner and find myself in a hallway full of lockers.

"That eye…" She replied softly, reaching out a hand to brush the stray indigo locks that covered my new right eye. "It's beautiful."

I take in the blood that was still streaming down the right side of her face and the short, matted fringe that was just long enough to cover her right eye. A weird feeling soon arises, the same feeling that I felt when I first saw her in the experimentation lab 10 years ago.

I reach out a hand to brush away her black locks and she flinches slightly; Deyran (who was the only one who told me his) stops my hand with a vice-like grip. Valkyrie turns to go find her locker, while Deyran gives me a look. Both of us fully comprehend the reprimand in that look, but I smirk.

"_Don't even think of getting near Karina."_

"Kufufu~ I wonder what Valkyrie will say if she heard some random stranger threatening her older brother." I reply softly, before heading over to Ken's and Chikusa's lockers to get out their weapons.

I retrieve a plastic bag with animal dentures from inside Ken's locker, and a pair of yo-yos from Chikusa's. I head over to my dearest Chrome's when I realised that it was already open – it was Chrome's turn in the Arena today. Damn.

_*click*_

Karina put on her weapons, which looked like blue bracelets but with a cover over the upper half of her hand until slightly over her wrist with a small silvery barrel protruding slightly from between the index and middle finger. "Chrome is in the Arena, right?" She asks impassively.

I nod.

"I'll get her; Mukuro-nii can go get Ken and Kakipi."

Deyran's companions looked shocked, but Valkyrie rushes off without a word. I head off in the other direction, and those three soon catch up with me.

"We're only sticking around because you ne–mph!" I silence the brown-haired guy with an illusion as we approach the room filled with cells. Ken and Chikusa were in the one right at the end, but there was a scientist in the way. With a dark smile, I run my trident through his chest, piercing through his heart.

As I fling his dead body to one side, I hear a sickening 'thump' as his lifeless corpse hits the door of one of the cells. A smile involuntarily tugs at my lips as I rush to the cell in which Ken and Chikusa were in, before shattering the lock with an illusion. I return their weapons to them, but turned around slowly when I felt a weapon being pointed at me.

The blade of a huge silver scythe was a few inches away from my face as I stared at the black-haired girl who was holding it.


	5. Eradication Part I: Escape

_**[Chapter 4: Eradication Part I: Escape]**_

As I stared at my reflection in the blade, it suddenly struck me that the wielder of the scythe could be the last thing I saw. That raven-black hair with the familiar lock of blue hair down the left side; that fringe that was just long enough to cover her right eye…that was a gleaming bright red.

* * *

It's finally my turn. Everyone else – Mukuro-sama, Ken, Chikusa and Valkyrie have all been in the Arena before, and they have all won. Even though Valkyrie entered before she was experimented on, she still beat all the others and came out on top.

I have to match their record. Then I can prove that I can protect Mukuro-sama, just like how he protected me. Right from when I entered the experimentation lab, he took me under his wing, because I was a child of the Mist like him. And I took that experiment in his place…but it failed. And Valkyrie was next, but she died. It worked for Mukuro-sama, though, and he's been sustaining my failed organs with illusions ever since.

"Experiment 96, enter the field."

I bite my lip. It's time.

* * *

"Kuhahaha!" I laugh, making the girl in front of me raise an eyebrow. "You're at Death's threshold, and you can still laugh. Not bad, Mukuro-nii."

I snort. "Don't curse me by calling me that, you faker. It's a good illusion, true…but nothing compared to what _I_ can do."

"…" She was silent for a while, before a cruel smile crossed her face. "What gave it away?"

"Kufufu~ Valkyrie would never use a scythe. And oh, you were quite out of character too, kufufu~" I laugh at her, but instead of getting frustrated, she smiles.

"Unfortunately, the rest of your little…group don't know that." Mist surrounds her, and it soon fades to reveal a petite girl with pale lavender hair and a pair of dark red eyes. "How about we battle? If you win, I'll allow you to watch and maybe interfere a little bit…but if you lose, everyone dies." The same cruel smile crosses her face as she waits for my answer.

"Why not…" I smirk. "Mist guardian of the Estraneo?"

* * *

Even as the Arena gates open, he rushes in and attempted to tackle me. I dodge; spinning my trident, lotus vines burst out of the floor and ties him up. He rips them apart, brown eyes emotionless.

Even as the minutes pass, he ducks, serves and dodges. All of my illusions are no match for his speed. Even as I slam my trident into the ground and lava bursts out of the floor, he moves like the wind and escapes unharmed.

Even with his extraordinary abilities, I manage to keep him away from me, but I'm tiring out fast. I don't think I can last much longer…

He smiles. Not a warm one, but one of those emotionless ones that Chikusa sometimes shows – a small quirk of the lips but without any feeling, any meaning. Right in that instant, I knew that the battle had already been decided.

_The battle would end with my death._

* * *

Columns of lava burst out of the floor as I spin my trident. She grins and slams her scythe into the floor; my lava columns freeze as ice starts gathering around my feet. I smirk at her, heterochromatic eyes on blood red as I activate the Fourth Path: The realm of Demons.

With my enhanced physical abilities, I break out of the ice; darting forward, I fling her scythe to the opposite end of the illusionary space as I dodge an illusionary knife that was hurled at me. Turning round, I lunge forward, trident going straight for her neck, but stop a centimeter away from her skin.

"Kufufu~ Does this count as a win, then?"

She shrugs. "No respectable illusionist would resort to using physical attacks…but whatever."

A smirk tugs at my lips.

* * *

My trident left my hand and landed a few meters away from the force of the blow. I tried to get up, but every movement is strenuous. I can feel my body rejecting the illusionary organs but I grit my teeth and pull myself up.

He's not doing anything. But upon seeing me make a move for my trident, he darts forward once more, fist aimed at my face.

I close my eyes, trying to force out the greatest illusion I had ever seen Mukuro-sama cast before.

_**Genju Gagaia!**_

A flock of huge flesh-eating crows burst into being. My opponent dodges, but the flock chases after him.

I try to make them surround me, as a shield temporarily, at least until I regained most of my strength, but they don't obey, and instead rush after him, trying to sink their beaks and claws into his flesh. My mind just couldn't process things fast enough – illusionary poisoning was setting in.

A weird realization burns in his dull brown eyes as he heads straight for me; my eyes widen. Already tired out from the fight, and I used up most of my flames for this illusion…that I can't control. I would have no defenses should he decide to attack…or maybe just let my own birds attack me.

* * *

"Huh, those two goons of yours are not bad." She comments, looking at the various screens that surrounded us.

I laughed. "Of course; I handpicked them after all, kufufu~"

"Those guests seem to be very shocked though." She smirks. "Friends of yours?"

I give her look that said plainly 'What the hell'. "What makes you think that?"

She shrugs. "Just asking."

* * *

He closes in, _**Genjū Gagaia**_ following closely. Spinning my trident, I create a shield of Mist flames, but I doubt it's going to hold for long.

Even as cracks start appearing, I bite my lip, determined to fight till the very end.

"_**Blue Meteor!"**_

An explosion. Even as the floor pulsated with the impact, my shield broke; I saw the blood and gore being sprayed everywhere as my opponent took the attack. _**Genjū Gagaia **_circled around the still-warm corpse of what was left of my opponent as I take in the blood-covered girl in front of me – a girl I thought I'd never see again.

_Valkyrie._

* * *

"Where are we, byon?" Ken growls. "What happened to me and Kakipi's battle against Valkyrie?"

I raise an eyebrow – elegantly, if I may say so myself – and reply with a short laugh. "Kufufu~ A test by an Estraneo member here. Now all we have to do is to wait for our 'guests'."

Ken and Chikusa were fighting an illusionary Valkyrie, but sharp Chikusa soon realised something was wrong. That was when the illusion stopped and they were sent to the illusionary pane where I was, along with the young girl that was the Estraneo Mist Guardian.

"This is some illusionary pane." A soft tenor comments, and even as she whirled around, I knew that Deyran had just entered the same pane.

"H-How did you get in here? Your trial shouldn't be over yet!" She exclaims with horror, and a smirk crosses his face – one of the few emotions I've seen from him, apart from his general expressionless face. "I am a true child of the Mist. And you would do well to stop imitating Karina; it's really pathetic, especially when you're not doing a good job."

* * *

"Let's go." She murmurs as she takes my hand; her gauntlets that covered her hand all the way up to her forearm made it awkward, but she manages to grab a firm hold and pulls me away.

Even as the scientists start shouting words that I couldn't make out, I stare at the corpse of my opponent. A huge, ragged, gaping hole was torn out in his torso, with his intestines and other organs splattered out on the floor from the force of the blow. The _**Genjū Gagaia **_was feeding on his warm flesh – I must have made them a real illusion. I look away, feeling sick as Valkyrie leads me back to the cells where Ken and Chikusa were.

Even with illusionary poisoning, my mind was clear enough to process a single question.

"Valkyrie…how are you alive?"

* * *

By now, only Ryuu was left in the illusionary battlefield, Lux having entered the pane a few minutes after Deyran. He seemed to be having a hard time, however. Just as everyone thought he was going to lose, the sound of shattering glass emerged as two figures appeared on the screen – one an exact clone of the illusionary attacker but with a different weapon, and the other a purple-haired female holding a trident.

_Valkyrie and Chrome._

* * *

She doesn't reply my question; instead, she concentrates on navigating through the never-ending, identical hallways. Just as we enter the room, she charges forward, bursting straight through into the misty bubble at the other end of the room.

As my eye adjusted to the dim lighting, I saw an unfamiliar brown-haired male lying on the floor, clutching his head – presumably illusionary poisoning. Valkyrie was battling with another Valkyrie, but the other was using a scythe.

Just what was going on here?

* * *

"Kufufu~ The game's up." I smirk, and even as blood red eyes fix on mine, both the illusionary sphere and battlefield vanish, leaving everyone back in the room. My cute Chrome looks lost, though. Valkyrie looks bored, surprisingly.

Well, we can settle that later. But for the escape… "Ten minutes headstart." I state calmly.

The young girl scrunches her nose, pale lavender hair swishing as she shook her head. "Two."

"Eight."

"Four."

"Five." We finally say at the same time.

Turning around, I quickly hand Ken and Chikusa their weapons. "Kufufu~ I hold you to your word."

As soon as she nods, everyone runs out of the room, starting with Deyran and his two friends, followed closely by Valkyrie, Ken and Chikusa, with Chrome and I bringing up the rear, the same question running through all our minds.

"_Can we get out of here alive?"_


	6. Eradication Part II: Divide I

_**[Chapter 5: Eradication Part II: Divide I]**_

_I'm really sorry if this chapter was crap, and I also spilt the chapter into two because it was too long._

* * *

"Are you sure he's here, Tsuna?" I turn around to look at a black-haired male with clear hazel eyes.

_**Yamamoto Takeshi, Vongola Rain Guardian and future King of Pioggia…**_

I smile at him, trying not to show my worry. "Yes, Mukuro is in this building. But I can't narrow it down because there are too many flame signatures…"

"Che. I'll bomb that bastard for making Juudaime worry!" Even without looking, I knew that the person who spoke was the silver-haired male with piercing emerald green eyes.

_**Gokudera Hayato, Vongola Storm Guardian and future King of Tempesta…**_

"Maa maa, 'Dera; no need to get so worked up…" Yamamoto smiled.

"Can we extremely find Mukuro and extremely get out of here?" For once, the white-haired male spoke softly…well, considering that his 'normal' volume is enough to deafen anyone standing a meter or so away from him, this is quite an improvement.

_**Sasagawa Ryohei, Vongola Sun Guardian and future King of Sole…**_

"Hai, Onii-chan." I reply in a whisper. Closing my eyes, I placed a hand against the cool, metal wall and let my flames spread in a thin layer, heightening my senses.

Even as I let my flames spread, I felt the flame signature of the person I was tracking.

_**Rokudo Mukuro, soon-to-be Vongola Mist Guardian and future King of Nebbia…**_

Locking in on that flame signature, I open my eyes. The difference was obvious. An orange filter coated my vision, with several faint colour trails in the air.

This state was known as synthesia. A state of heightened awareness, sort of like a sixth sense, that could only be employed by two groups of people. The royal families and the Arcobaleno…

"Tsuna? I think we have company." Yamamoto whispered. I nod once, once again reminded of Reborn's assessment of Yamamoto when we first met.

'_That boy…he is definitely a natural-born hitman.'_

"If they're guards, we'll take care of them, Juudaime." Gokudera states confidently, taking out a few sticks of dynamite.

"What Tako-head said to the extreme!" Ryohei punched the air, eager to begin the battle.

I smile. My family was eccentric, yes, but they pulled through everyday fights together as one when push came to shove.

But still…I have a job to do.

_Mukuro…are you there?_ I call out mentally through the link I shared. It would be a lot easier if he could just tell me his location, but he hasn't been replying.

_Kufufu…you're late. I've already busted out._

_Wait – WHAT?!_

"Guys, wait!" I whisper, only to find that the group of just four guards was already taken down by my three smiling guardians.

_Wait there, kufufu~ I'll come and find you._

_God, Mukuro…_ I facepalm. _That sounded so wrong…_

I was left with his parting laugh echoing around the mind link. _Kufufufu…_

"Juudaime?" Gokudera asked. I shook my head. "He's coming. We just have to wait here."

* * *

"Kufufufu~" I laugh, instantly gaining the attention of the other members of my little 'party'.

"What…?" Lux sighed. Honestly, that black-haired girl stands out too much in her bright yellow shirt.

I smirk at her, meanwhile motioning for Valkyrie to take the lead. "We're going to meet up with a friend of mine just around the corridor."

* * *

Yamamoto looked around the empty hallway. Well, the empty hallway that consisted of unconscious bodies and us.

"They're coming." His amber eyes were sharp, attentive.

Even as I nodded, a man dressed in traditional robes of white and blue shimmered into existence out of nowhere. He stood tall, staring in the same direction as Yamamoto, though unlike the other, he had a smile on his face.

To the others, he looked normal, albeit a bit translucent, but in my orange-filtered synthesia vision, the gentle Rain flames wrapped around Yamamoto's form increased in intensity, and spilt away to form another figure. That man was Asari Ugestsu, first King of Pioggia and Yamamoto's ancestor.

"_You can come out; these kids won't hurt you, de gozaru."_

I frowned, as did the rest of my party. Just who was Asari talking to?

"Your descendant is a sharp one." A raven-haired girl who had a blue lock running down the left side stepped out of the shadowy hallway, closely followed by a white-haired male with teal eyes, a brown-haired male with brown eyes and a raven-haired girl with onyx eyes. Behind them was Mukuro, along with the three members of his gang – Chrome, Ken and Chikusa.

"_You know…it's kind of weird seeing you as a girl, de gozaru."_ Asari rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"True, that." The girl smiled, albeit sadly. "Anyway, Luce picked you, right? Then I have no doubts about your ability." There was something…weird about her. Her flame signature registered higher levels than normal for an individual, and it sounded like two people speaking – her mid-alto tone but with a light tenor underneath. Curious…

Asari nodded in reply, a sad smile on his face. _"I'm really sorry for what my kinsfolk did to you and Lal…"_

The girl shook her head. "It's fine. I never had the opportunity to meet you before today, so let's start over."

Stepping forward, Asari offered a hand to the girl, the trademark smile that he shared with Yamamoto back on his face. _"Asari Ugestsu, Primo's Guardian of the Rain. Nice to meet you, de gozaru."_

She took his hand firmly in a grasp, though the weird bracelet thing on her hand looked like it was causing a fair amount of trouble. "Nice to meet you."

"Kufufu~ Stop staring, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro had, not surprisingly, 'teleported' over by using his Mist flames to open a gateway and was now mock glaring at me. It was only then, however, that I realised I had been staring at the exchange so intently that everyone thought I was staring at the girl.

"W-Wait, it's not w-what it l-looks like!" I protest weakly, but Yamamoto slings a hand over my shoulder. "Haha, there's no need to worry about staring at a girl, Tsuna!"

"Boy." A low growl was followed by a resounding 'click', which in turn was soon followed by the blue bracelet on her right hand extending into a gauntlet that was pointed straight at my face. I could actually see the small silver barrel in-between her middle and index fingers. "Were you staring at Karina?"

I flinched slightly, and it didn't go unnoticed by that lone light blue eye.

"Shoot and I'll blast your head off." Gokudera growled, lit dynamite in hand, ready to throw.

"Throw and you're dead." That low taunting voice so full of malice turned all heads as Mukuro pointed his trident level with Gokudera's heart.

"You're siding with _her_?" Gokudera's disbelief was written all over his face. "She's an _Arcobaleno_, for god's sake! And for all you know they are too!"

Mukuro looked at the raven-haired girl directly in front of me, but she shook her head. At that very moment, I heard it. Their exchange.

'_Colonello…let me take over. Please.'_

'_Wait – what? Baka-Rina, you're not exactly in an excellent condition, kora!'_

'_I can do it…I still have enough flames left for this.'_

'…_if you die, I will never forgive you, kora.'_

Her light blue eye darkened to sapphire as she collapsed, falling forward and pushing me to the opposite wall of the corridor. Gokudera's alarmed shout filled my ears but there was no sign that he threw the dynamites – most likely because Mukuro had his trident pointed at him.

Everything soon faded. My orange synthesia field merged with her blue one as my vision started turning indigo.

* * *

_I stood – well, floated – in a huge sea. Turning around, I saw nothing but the vast expanse of water, in addition to several bubbles that flashed rainbow in the filtered sunlight._

"_Where…am I?"_


	7. Eradication Part II: Divide II

_**[Chapter 6: Eradication Part II: Divide II]**_

"_In my memories." A raven-haired mermaid swam up to me from the watery depths. "To the rest outside, it would seem as though we were knocked out by the 'fall', but Mukuro-nii and Chrome will be able to tell where we've gone. Oh, and Viper too."_

_I looked at her, confusion etched upon my face. She flicks her sapphire tail in annoyance as she sighed. "I brought you here for a reason, you know." She waves a hand, and the bubbles started gathering around us. "Pick one."_

_I shake my head. "I'm sorry, but I really don't get it. And where is Colonello?"_

_She sighed. "You'll get it as we go along. And as for Colonello…let's just say he doesn't want to see you. Well? Pick one."_

_I sigh. If she's really that insistent, then I guess I'll humor her for a while. Looking closely at the bubbles, I realised that each one had a different sheen; they were literally glowing with flames. Some had the soft blue sheen of the Rain, others had the faded sheen of the Mist, but a few had an indigo-blue sheen that was neither here nor there._

_The images portrayed were also different. I picked one that looked like it depicted the bright sun against the clear blue backdrop of the sky. As soon as I touched it, however, memories washed over me._

_(That pun wasn't intended, by the way.)_

_The feeling was indescribable. If your mind was a blank sheet of paper, your memories would be words, drawings…anything upon that sheet. But letting another person's memories wash over you was as if that very same piece of paper overlapped a piece of an identical blank sheet of paper and somebody poured paint splatters over the entire thing. Except that you could make sense of the paint splatters as if it were your own._

* * *

"Juudaime! Juudaime!" Gokudera shouted, frantically shaking his unconscious boss.

"Kufufu~ He might get a nasty headache if you do that." Mukuro smirked while Chrome pulled the unconscious Valkyrie into a sitting position.

* * *

_I must have picked a memory from her childhood, for I saw a younger her and a younger Yamamoto playing in the water. "You were friends with Yamamoto?" I sounded surprised, even though I tried to keep my tone neutral. She nods._

* * *

"_Always remember to smile, okay, Rina-chan?" Yamamoto grins, and the younger her smiles back, nodding. "I understand, Takeshi-nii!"_

* * *

_All too soon, the world faded, but instead of going back to the oceanic landscape, we move on to the next memory._

* * *

_Shock and anger filled those hazel orbs as Yamamoto glared at the trembling raven-haired girl in front of him. "There are only two kinds of merfolk. One of them is the royals, and the other… the __**Arcobaleno**__."_

"_Takeshi-nii, please, listen–" _

"_I'm no brother of yours!" Yamamoto snarled, before turning away. "Leave. I don't ever want to see you again."_

_The girl stared, tears running down her cheeks before she turned and ran away._

* * *

_I gasp sharply even as the raven-haired mermaid beside me waved a hand. "It's only the beginning, Decimo."_

* * *

"_You know my name…but who are you, kufufu?" Indigo hair shaped like a pineapple waved slightly as two pairs of sapphire orbs locked onto each other._

"_I…don't know." Came her soft reply._

"_Hm~" The younger Mukuro ponders, before a smirk crosses his face. "Saa, it's nice to meet you, __**Valkyrie**__-chan."_

_Her eyes stare at him blankly before a soft chuckle escapes her lips. "Likewise, Mukuro…niichan."_

* * *

_Even as I watch her faded memories of the experiment, I bite my lip. Could we really have misunderstood __**them**__…?_

* * *

_Chrome's purple eyes glare at the scientist that came to take Mukuro away for the experiment, and she offers to take his place, albeit protests from Ken, Chikusa, the newly-named Valkyrie and Mukuro himself. The scientist grins cruelly, but returns a few days later with Chrome barely alive. A few years later, he once again came for Mukuro, but in light of Valkyrie winning the entire Arena Duel (and killing all of the experiments), he took her instead. That was when she almost died…and where everything began._

* * *

"_Why were the last memories like a summary?" I ask out of curiosity. "And why do you have that blue streak, since it wasn't natural…?"_

"_I didn't know if you would have wanted to see everything in detail." A soft sad chuckle. "And I got it dyed to remind myself that we…Takeshi-nii and I…were in totally different worlds."_

_I look back up. If I looked carefully, I could almost see the sky above the surface of the cool water._

"_It's time." She says, and I turn to face her. "We have to go."_

* * *

"Juudaime?" Gokudera asks softly as he sees transparent crystal tears trailing down his boss's cheek. Yamamoto and Ryohei didn't notice, though, being too preoccupied with the other three Arcobaleno – Lux, Deyran and Ryuu.

Chrome, meanwhile, was fussing over Karina, but let out a gasp of shock when her slender wrist was grabbed forcefully by an equally-pale hand. Heterochromatic eyes stared into a lone purple one as the sapphire eye widened in recognition and let go of her wrist. This did not go unnoticed by the others, and the rest of the Arcobaleno moved to stand protectively over their new little sister while Yamamoto and Ryohei narrowed their eyes. Asari and Mukuro took a neutral stand, but then a soft voice stopped them all in their tracks.

"Leave them, guys." Standing up, the future king of Cielo fixed his orange eyes on his guardians, who frowned but obeyed. Once again, those sunset-amber eyes fixed upon heterochromatic ones – one blood red and one sapphire blue, and the young king noted that unlike Mukuro, the girl's red eye did not have a kanji character but rather a pentagram.

"I showed those to you not to win over your sympathy, but rather…" The equally-soft voice of the girl trailed away.

Smiling, the young king replied gently. "I understand. We will keep your secret – but understand that I have obligations to the Omerta, that is, the rules that govern all seven kingdoms."

She pushed her raven-black fringe out of the way, clearly showing her red right eye as she nodded. "I hold you to your word, Decimo." A glance at the indigo-haired illusionist, who looked away. "Please take care of Mukuro-nii, Chrome, Ken and Chikusa."

Even as the other smiled, heterochromatic eyes closed and the Rain Arcobaleno collapsed. Chrome gasped, but Ken held her back; Ryuu picked the unconscious Rain up and turned to leave, Lux and Deyran following closely behind.

And thus the Arcobaleno and Nobles parted, though neither party knew that the result of this meeting would greatly impact the future to come, with the exception of the Sky Arcobaleno, who was still slumbering in her peaceful garden…

_Even as the gears start to turn, even as the hands on the clock face move, the red strings of fate begin to tighten, drawing in fifteen pawns into a deadly game of chess…_


End file.
